Salem, Georgia woman found dead; Boyfriend charged with murder

A Salem woman was found dead in Georgia earlier this month, prompting authorities to arrest a man and charge him with murder.

The death of 42-year-old Karina Moreno was confirmed by the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office and an obituary was posted online.

On October 6, officers were dispatched to an address on Chastain Drive in Cartersville, Georgia. The city is northwest of Atlanta. They had received reports of a domestic dispute and were asked to conduct a welfare check.

When they arrived at the house and received no response from inside, the officers forced their way in. They found Antonios Pete Kostopoulos, 52, inside with “suspected blood on his person.” He was taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

When authorities cleared the home, they found Moreno’s body wrapped in a blanket on the living room floor.

Kostopoulos is charged with nine crimes, including murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence. An investigation is ongoing.

According to her obituary, Moreno grew up in Salem and graduated from Salem High School. She earned an associate’s degree from Northshore Community College, enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College and later earned a master’s degree in business administration from Endicott College.

Moreno worked for 20 years at Medtronic, a medical device manufacturer in Danvers. She worked her way up to Global Project Manager.

“Karina was valued for her cheeky demeanor, kind heart and innate generosity. She had a deep love for her family and friends and always made time to support and encourage those around her. Karina was known for her impeccable sense of style and her fashion forward spirit added a touch of elegance to every occasion,” Moreno’s obituary reads.

Moreno’s niece told NBC10 Boston that she moved south after living in Salem her entire life. Her father told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra in Spanish that she lived with her boyfriend and identified him as Kostopoulos.

“It was news that broke your heart, I mean, you never expected… something like that,” her father Jose Moreno told the station in Spanish.